Crown of Emara

Welcome

April: a month of showers and pranks. Clearly the perfect

At a Glance

Settle for best at London convention for your chance to win a place at the UK Championship

First Turn

The designer of Dungeon Alliance and Assault of the Giants on his 2003 debut Ideology: The War of Ideas

10 of the Best Funny Games

LOL, ROFL and have TOTT (tears of laughter on the tabletop) with these hilarious cardboard crackers that will leave you in creases for April Fools’ Day

Role Call

Weird creatures abound in this month’s RPG round-up, whether they’re Lovecraftian cowboys, the spirits of Invisible Sun or the dangerous foes of Monster of the Week

All the Jahres

Replaying the winners of the Spiel des Jahres so you don’t have to

My Favourite Game

The SEAL Team Flix co-designer and House of Spirits creator explains why the tough tactics of Neuroshima Hex make for his ideal post-apocalypse

Microgame of the Month

A FREE GAME FOR YOU TO PLAY IN SIDE EVERY ISSUE OF TABLETOP GAMING!

Have You Played?

This elegant retelling of a pivotal Japanese battle is historical wargaming at its finest, with none of the effort and all of the action

The Independent Shelf

Bid on your hand in this inventive trick-taking card game from the co-designer of Heroscape

Around the World in 80 Plays

3,500 miles west of last month’s trip to India lies

Play it Smart

What’s in ‘a game’? Our professors of play consider what lies behind the seemingly straightforward definition of a tabletop experience

Through the Ages

As the Dead of Winter, Summoner Wars and Stuffed Fables studio turns 10, founder Colby Dauch looks back on a decade of boundary-pushing games

Unearthed Artefacts

++YEAR 3138++INCOMING TRANSMISSION++ found sector b04: pastime x17 – board game – “photosynthesis”

Tabletop Time Machine

Pit is a playing card game that was first released

Root: The RPG

Root was 2018’s standout board game: a triumph of asymmetrical design, breathtaking presentation and a stirring sylvan world. This year, Mark Truman leads the way deeper into a war-torn woodland with Root: The Roleplaying Game

Era: Medieval Age

A decade after Roll Through the Ages, Matt Leacock’s spiritual successor to his breezy civ game is taking the action into the 3D streets of medieval cities. A new Era of roll-and-build is upon us…

How we made

Geoff Engelstein and his children set off on a mission to explore strange new gaming worlds together. What they discovered was this frantic co-op game of operating a starship in real time (and space)

L’Attaque

It was the ‘rival to chess’ played by Winston Churchill that inspired Stratego and Dover Patrol. Over a century since its invention by a female French designer, we discover the forgotten story of a piece of gaming history

Eat Play Love

Ensure your next game night is an unforgettable evening with our readymade recipes of games, films, food and drinks that make for the perfect playable pairings

Things from the flood

Tales from the Loop’s beautiful art, exciting premise and subtly Scandinavian tone helped the game sweep roleplaying awards and top countless ‘Best of’ lists. Get ready to meet its darker, moodier teenage cousin

War of the Worlds: The new wave

In War of the Worlds: The New Wave, the Martians are back – and they’ve decided to take over Scotland. All that stands in the way of humanity’s destruction is a deck of cards…

Paul Bonner

Dwarves, goblins… but no elves! We speak with Paul Bonner, the veteran artist behind the fantasy visions of Warhammer, Magic: The Gathering, Mutant Chronicles and more

Wingspan

We’ve just hit beak board game

Genesys: Shadow of the Beanstalk

Jacking back into the world of Android

Treasure Island

Golden Silver

Vault of Dragons

Looking for a new dungeon-basher? Keep looking

Battletech: A Game of Armored Combat

Those 31st-century heavy hitters are back

Marvel Strike Teams

Clix bait

Core Space

Rogue traders

City of Gears

Clockwork, not hard work

Things from the flood

Back in the Loop

Vadoran Gardens

Designer: Frank West | Artist: Miguel Da Silva, Frank

Illusion

Designer: Wolfgang Warsch | Artist: Oliver Freudenreich

Visitor in Blackwood Grove

I want to believe in this alien deduction game, but…

Dual Powers: Revolution 1917

Don’t you know it’s gonna be alright?

Swordcrafters: Expanded Edition

Well weapon

Ninja Squad

Designer: Yan Yegorov | Artist: Ein Lee, Elmer Damaso

Showtime

Designer: Stefan Klob, Anna Oppolzer | Artist: Christian

Invisible Sun

Treading the line ‘twixt genius and madness

Terminator Genisys

Designer: Josh Derksen, Thomas M. Gofton, Aron Murch

Lindisfarne

A snack for Odin

Tudor

More choices than Henry VIII had wives

Amazing Tales

Roleplaying, when you get down to it, is all about

Wildlands: Adventuring Party

Last year, Martin Wallace’s Wildlands blew us away

Painting guide

Whether it’s dragon heartstring or unicorn hair, grab your bristled wand and cast some painting magic on the goodies of the wizarding world

Dungeon Master’s Guide to Roleplaying

Does min-maxing your character’s fighting prowess suck the fun out of the tale you’re telling? We weigh up the challenge of juggling story and skill

Event Report

Sakura Brandi tells us about the Scottish convention hosted by the University of Edinburgh’s RPG society

Shop Spotlight

Alexi Tingey tells about us the rise of the outlet from a small miniatures website to a London megastore